Since the astonishing election of 56 SNP MPs to the UK Parliament last May, the Unionist media – suddenly deprived of a whole contacts book full of friendly Scottish Labour bench-warmers ready to feed it cosy stories over a boozy expenses lunch in Whitehall – has raked through every bin and gutter in the land looking for anything (however pathetic) that it can try to puff up, distort, and rope into service as “dirt” on each of the Nat members, in an attempt to discredit them and the party.

So let’s just have a little look in here and – YIKES!

This could take some time.

—————————————–

Tasmina Ahmed-Sheikh

CHARGE: Was trustee of a charity.

VERDICT: Was indeed trustee of a charity, which has given thousands of pounds to worthy recipients. No wrongdoing of any sort took place, and both the Herald and the Daily Record subsequently published apologies for any implications to the contrary.

MP AT THE TIME OF INCIDENT? No. Resigned position the day after her election.

SCANDAL RATING: 0/5.

—————————————–

Richard Arkless

CHARGE: Sells lightbulbs for extra income.

VERDICT: Arkless does indeed hold shares in a business called LED Warehouse, owning 15% of the company. The Register Of Members’ Interests does not specify whether those shares have paid any dividends, so we don’t know whether Arkless has actually received any money from them.

The Mail has been obsessed with the “second jobs” of SNP MPs for months, repeating basically the same story about the same people at least FIVE times between September 2015 and January 2016 – all but one of them as the front-page lead – and Arkless has always featured.

That’s a line which has been used to batter Wishart’s colleagues ever since the election a few weeks later, but it appears to have been a purely personal opinion. There’s no evidence that it was ever official SNP policy – the only relevant statement ever published is that the party’s MPs should “treat their position as a full-time commitment, with an attendance and work-rate commensurate with that status”, which clearly doesn’t exclude holding shares in a company.

Accusing other MPs of “hypocrisy” because they don’t hold the same view as Pete Wishart about something is therefore a bit of a stretch. Certainly, it’s categorically not true to say – as the Mail does – that Richard Arkless “pledged not to” have a second source of income if elected as an MP. He said no such thing.

MP AT THE TIME OF INCIDENT? No. He’s still a director, but the company was formed long before his election. We don’t believe it’s compulsory to sell your shares if you become an MP.

SCANDAL RATING: 0/5.

—————————————–

Hannah Bardell

No reported scandals as yet. (The best the press has managed is pointing out that Bardell had to give her Commons oath twice after getting it wrong the first time. Frankly we’re a bit disappointed the Mail didn’t whip it up into “Mad Nat Disrespects Queen”.)

—————————————–

Mhairi Black

CHARGE: Is not really working class. Parents live in a nice area and everything.

VERDICT: Iain Martin of CapX, who is also from Black’s home town of Paisley, is absolutely obsessed with her class, writing at least three separate articles about it. But as the MP has never actually claimed to be working class, we’re not sure why.

Ian Blackford

CHARGE: Lets out holiday cottages for rent.

VERDICT: Another “second jobs” story. See Richard Arkless. Blackford does indeed part-own a couple of holiday cottages which bring in some money for his wife. According to the Register Of Members’ Interests he himself makes no money from the business and spends no time working for it.

The MP is also chair of the Golden Charter Trust, a job which earns him what the Mail unfailingly describes as “the equivalent of £777 an hour” in order to emphasise the amount of money while also concealing the fact that he only spends 37 minutes a week (or just over five minutes a day) on his work for the Trust.

We would hazard that anyone in “full-time” employment could find that amount of time in a week without it impacting on their ability to do their day job.

SCANDAL RATING: 0/5.

—————————–

CHARGE 2: Has links to a business which makes direct-marketing calls.

VERDICT: The company had received a single-figure number of complaints about “cold calling” – an issue Blackford has spoken against – and improved its practices to eliminate problems. It now has a green rating from the Information Commissioner’s Office, which oversees the industry. It was not censured and no penalties were imposed.

MP AT THE TIME OF INCIDENT? No. The business predates his election.

SCANDAL RATING: 0/5.

—————————————–

Kirsty Blackman

CHARGE: Expenses outrage.

VERDICT: A few weeks ago the Daily Star made Blackman the lead in a Westminster expenses story because she claimed the grand total of £17 for hot water and heating in her London accommodation. We know a lot of people think MPs have a pampered lifestyle, but we suspect even the harshest critic would accept they were entitled to heating and hot water.

MP AT THE TIME OF INCIDENT: Yes.

SCANDAL RATING: 0/5.

—————————————–

Phil Boswell

CHARGE: Received legal tax-free loan from employer.

VERDICT: Boswell did indeed receive a tax-free loan of over £18,000 from his previous employer, who have not as yet requested it to be repaid. He subsequently highlighted in Parliament the loophole in the law which makes it possible to reduce tax liabilities with such loans. According to The Scotsman, “there is no suggestion Mr Boswell has done anything illegal”.

(The headline also implies that £18,000 is the amount of tax that has been avoided. In fact the maximum tax payable on the sum were it to have been paid as normal salary would be less than half that – 45%, or £8,100.)

MP AT THE TIME OF INCIDENT? No. The loan predated his election.

SCANDAL RATING: 0/5.

FOOTNOTE: The Scottish Mail On Sunday subsequently published an allegation from a defeated Liberal Democrat candidate in another constituency that Boswell and his wife had received illegal dividend payments of almost £125,000 from his company Boswell and Johnston Ltd. (The company has no website and we haven’t managed to determine the nature of its business.)

Curiously, despite the size of the sum involved no other newspapers picked up the story, and there have been no reports of any investigation into the claim.

—————————————–

Deidre Brock

No reported scandals as yet. (But was born in Australia and ISN’T EVEN SCOTTISH, the separatist hypocrite.)

Alan Brown

Lisa Cameron

CHARGE: Owns property.

VERDICT: Despite repeated mentions of “former council homes”, Cameron bought the houses from private owners, not local authorities, and also inherited one from her own granny. To the best of our knowledge the SNP has no policy against MPs (or anyone else for that matter) owning property.

Patricia Gibson

CHARGE: Expenses outrage.

VERDICT: The Daily Record accused Gibson of a “spending spree” when she recorded higher expenses than any other MP in the first three-month declaration period of the new Parliament. It’s not until several paragraphs down the article that the reason is revealed – she paid her accommodation and office rent upfront for a year, SAVING taxpayers money by getting a discount for doing so.

(Gibson was also attacked in The Sun for claiming a £3.20 train ticket home after she’d spent the day taking part in a charity walk to raise money for a cervical cancer support group, the vile monster.)

Neil Gray

CHARGE: Hired brother-in-law.

VERDICT: Several SNP MPs (also including Richard Arkless and Ian Blackford – see above) were named as employing family members in a single Times article by Hamish Macdonell last October, which mysteriously cited salaries of “up to” various oddly-precise figures such as £24,727.

There are no rules at Westminster against employing family members, nor does the SNP have any policy against it, and Gray’s brother-in-law – who serves as his office manager – isn’t even a blood relative.

MP AT THE TIME OF INCIDENT? Yes.

SCANDAL RATING: 0/5.

—————————————–

Drew Hendry

CHARGE: Is honorary chairman of a company he formed.

VERDICT: The “second jobs” story again. See Richard Arkless.

Hendry only gets a passing mention in the piece, for what appears to be an advisory role in digital marketing firm Teclan, which Hendry founded in 1999. The Register Of Members’ Interests declares a shareholding, but no logged hours of work or income.

MP AT THE TIME OF INCIDENT? No. The company predates Hendry’s election.

SCANDAL RATING: 0/5.

—————————————–

Stewart Hosie

CHARGE: Knows someone who might or might not be Islamophobic.

VERDICT: Despite his having been an MP for 11 years, the press appear not to have been able to find even the weakest dirt on the SNP’s deputy Westminster leader, so instead have tried a guilt-by-association angle. Dundee councillor Craig Melville, an “assistant” to Hosie, is alleged to have made some abusive comments to a Muslim colleague and has been suspended by the party pending the outcome of an inquiry.

There’s no suggestion whatsoever that Stewart Hosie had any knowledge of the comments, and no reason for the Daily Record to use his name in the headline. No other reports of the story did so.

MP AT THE TIME OF INCIDENT? Yes.

SCANDAL RATING: 0/5 (so far as Hosie is concerned).

—————————————–

George Kerevan

CHARGE: Employs wife.

VERDICT: Kerevan only takes £27,000 (the median Scottish wage) of his MP salary despite being entitled to £74,000. However he also employs his wife as an assistant for £20,000. This is entirely permissible under Westminster rules.

In other words, in Mr and Mrs Kerevan the taxpayer gets two full-time employees for £47,000 instead of £94,000 – ie, half price. Whatever your opinion of their politics, that seems like an indisputable bargain, saving the public purse almost quarter of a million pounds over the parliamentary term.

MP AT THE TIME OF INCIDENT? Yes.

SCANDAL RATING: 0/5.

—————————————–

Calum Kerr

Chris Law

CHARGE: Owns shares in company.

VERDICT: Like Drew Hendry, Law gets a passing mention in the Daily Mail’s original “second jobs” piece from last September. His entry in the Register Of Members’ Interest records ownership of some shares in financial services company CMAL, but no logged hours of work or income for it.

Also like Hendry, the accusation is so feeble that the Mail didn’t bother to name Law again any of the three subsequent times it ran the same story, all in January 2016.

MP AT THE TIME OF INCIDENT? No. The company predates Law’s election.

SCANDAL RATING: 0/5.

—————————————–

Stewart McDonald Stuart McDonald

No reported scandals as yet. (But have almost the same name, which is stupid.)

Callum McCaig

Natalie McGarry

CHARGE: May or may not have fully accounted for an undetermined amount of money among sums donated to Women For Independence.

VERDICT: As far as we can establish, McGarry still hasn’t been questioned by police almost three months later. (Our FOI request was rejected by Police Scotland.) No money at all has as yet been definitively identified as having been “lost”, let alone as much as £30,000. However, McGarry did make a payment to WFI of £6,000, although it didn’t involve any admission of wrongdoing.

MP AT THE TIME OF INCIDENT? No. All events preceded McGarry’s election.

SCANDAL RATING: 1/5 (for the £6,000).

—————————————–

Anne McLaughlin

CHARGE: Hired boyfriend. See Neil Gray.

VERDICT: McLaughlin hired her partner to help local community groups two days a week. As the MP and her boyfriend aren’t married and don’t live together, under Westminster rules the matter doesn’t even have to be declared. McLaughlin declared it anyway and requested it be published on the members’ register, but Parliamentary authorities refused to because it wasn’t eligible.

MP AT THE TIME OF INCIDENT? Yes.

SCANDAL RATING: 0/5.

—————————————–

John McNally

McNally’s second job is almost farcical, emanating from four hours’ work on Saturday mornings cutting hair in his barber shop in Denny. Even though the job involves interacting with constituents, the Mail apparently regards this as a serious impairment on his ability to perform his MP duties.

MP AT THE TIME OF INCIDENT? No. Barber job precedes election.

SCANDAL RATING: 0/5.

—————————————–

Angus MacNeil

CHARGE: Expenses outrage.

VERDICT: MacNeil was described by the Mirror as “shameless” and “pennypinching” for claiming £129 for computer repairs. We’re reasonably sure that fixing broken office equipment is one of the things MPs’ expenses are specifically meant for.

MP AT THE TIME OF INCIDENT? Yes.

SCANDAL RATING: 0/5.

—————————————–

Carol Monaghan

No reported scandals as yet. But has been accused of “deplorable” behaviour in the Commons.

—————————————–

Paul Monaghan

VERDICT: Monaghan does seem to dislike the UK flag and the concept of monarchy. As far as we know neither of those opinions is illegal, nor even especially unpopular. The last time we polled on the subject 25% of Scots wanted the monarchy abolished and another 10% weren’t sure.

John Nicolson

CHARGE: Owns house in London that has increased in value.

VERDICT: The house has indeed increased in value, after decades of restoration work carried out by Nicolson himself, having bought it as a ruin while working in television. The MP lives in it when working in the capital, saving taxpayers money on second-home or hotel expenses.

MP AT THE TIME OF INCIDENT? No.

SCANDAL RATING: 0/5.

—————————————–

Brendan O’Hara

CHARGE: Failed to declare dormant company on register of members’ interests.

VERDICT: O’Hara set up a TV production company in 2009, which never traded or earned any money and is now legally dormant, but under parliamentary rules still has to be declared. Westminster authorities accepted O’Hara had simply misunderstood the rules and took no action, but the Herald led page 2 with it anyway.

Angus Robertson

Alex Salmond

CHARGE: Wrote book and newspaper columns.

VERDICT: Another character in the Mail’s “second jobs” crusade. Salmond, of course, DOES actually have a second job – he’s an MSP as well as an MP. But the dual role was obtained with the full advance knowledge of the electorate. The voters of Gordon were aware that Salmond was already MSP for the same area (now known at Holyrood as Aberdeenshire East) when he stood in May 2015, and elected him anyway.

The Mail also protests angrily that Salmond receives income from writing newspaper columns and a book, giving speeches (with the proceeds also going to charities) and hosting a weekly radio phone-in show on LBC. But all concern political issues, and are not unusual pursuits for MPs.

The ex-First Minister has spoken very frequently at Westminster since his re-election, but has been heard from little at Holyrood, not wishing to upstage his successor.

MP AT THE TIME OF INCIDENT? Yes.

SCANDAL RATING: 1/5 (for Holyrood appearance levels).

—————————————–

Tommy Sheppard

CHARGE: Met person who may or may not be connected to Hamas.

VERDICT: Sheppard, along with Corri Wilson (see below) met a pro-Palestinian activist called Zaher Birawi who has been accused by one political organisation of being linked to the terrorist group Hamas.

Mr Birawi strongly denies the accusation. He has been a UK citizen since the 1990s and is not wanted by any anti-terrorist authorities.

Some irregularities around some of the purchases led to the striking-off of solicitor Christopher Hales, but as yet there’s nothing whatsoever to suggest Thomson was party to any wrongdoing. As far as we can establish (as with Natalie McGarry, Police Scotland refused our FOI request), the MP has still not been questioned by police in connection with the matter, four months after the “story” broke in the press.

MP AT THE TIME OF INCIDENT? No. The sales all predate Thomson’s election.

SCANDAL RATING: 1/5 (for Hales).

—————————————–

Owen Thompson

Mike Weir

CHARGE: Didn’t declare charitable donations quickly enough.

VERDICT: In fact Weir complied fully with the rules. The Herald’s article is based on bad arithmetic and a clumsy misunderstanding of changes which didn’t apply until last May’s general election. No apology has been published that we know of.

Corri Wilson

Pete Wishart

CHARGE: Earns royalties from Runrig records.

VERDICT: And so the story comes full circle. Wishart, source of the original “second jobs” quote the Scottish Daily Mail has somehow screwed numerous front-page lead stories out of, is the former keyboard player of teuchter-rock band Runrig, best known for their cover of traditional folk song “Loch Lomond” which was re-recorded and released for “Children In Need” in 2012.

Wishart remains an unpaid director of the band and still receives royalties from his time as a member, which was enough for the Mail to accuse him of falling foul of his own rule about “outside interests with a financial return”.

MP AT THE TIME OF INCIDENT? Yes.

SCANDAL RATING: 1/5. Okay, it might only be 20 quid now and again and obviously not interfere with his Parliamentary duties in any way, but by having made such an unequivocal and un-nuanced original statement Wishart pretty much asked for it.

—————————————–

So let’s recap.

NUMBER OF SNP MPs ELECTED: 56

NUMBER NAMED SO FAR IN NEWSPAPER “SCANDALS”: 28

NUMBER OF CASES OF ACTUAL PROVEN WRONGDOING: 0

NUMBER OF CASES OF POSSIBLE WRONGDOING, UNPROVEN: 2(Thomson, McGarry)

It’s not much of a strike rate. The press has thrown an entire Glastonbury of mud and so far hasn’t scored a single hit. But we’ll keep you posted, folks.

“No SNP Member has a second job, a directorship or a place on a company. Our responsibilities here are our sole concern and our only responsibility. SNP Members serve our constituents and ensure that the agenda for the nation is progressed.”

The Daily Mail (and others) never mention the rest of the sentence, or provide the context in which it was made.

It’s unbelievable that they have missed it and calls into question the standards of investigative journalism possessed by the MSM.

As a Yes supporter and an advocate of strong journalistic standards I am completely disappointed by the MSM’s lack of skill in spotting the obvious and I have to confess, that as a democrat, I am very concerned that they haven’t spotted it yet.

Not even a year and its been week after week of assault. What has it gained the press and their chain tuggers? Pretty much our eternal contempt. Politics in the UK, a pastime for sociopathic mercenaries in suits more like.

Patricia Gibson was accused in the local paper of claiming the highest expenses of any MP. She paid (I think) 2 years’ rent in advance for her constituency office, thereby getting a discount and saving us all money.

The Rev’s Twitter feed is having a go at the Record for a questionable, bad taste (and boy do I mean bad taste) back-page headline concerning Hibs’ cup win over Hearts.

Can I say in their defence, the subs on the Record’s sports desk are to a man, either: devout, God-fearing Jesuit-educated Old Aloysians, or staunch, God-fearing Wee Frees, who lead unimpeachable lives of sobriety, propriety and clean living.

They would not have a clue why you should never use the word “Cum” in a family newspaper.

I laughed, and, if you believe what I have written above, you will believe anything.

You omitted your own charge sheet rev, or the charge by Scottish Labour that the SNP are standing shoulder to shoulder with the Scottish Tories. There’s been a lot of mud slung since last May & i suspect that’s just the tip of the mudberg as the Holyrood elections loom..

Great piece . Rev
Now you have neither the manpower or man hours to do a similar ” members interest of the corrupt “Tory Members” or the hypocritical ” Labour Party ” or even their Scottish branch.
I seem to recall at the Indy ref many Slab MP’s being named and shamed by SM but the stories not making it to the MSM. Unfortunately it is ever thus.
#SNPBAD

According to colonel blimp of Middlesurreysex their biggest crime is. “trying to break up our country, the magnificent, the one and only, You knighted kingdom.”
I saw one of them being interviewed on the news last night. He was asked whether he was for in or out of Europe (as if the interviewer didn’t know.) “I’m 77 years old and fought in the second world war and am willing to take up arms again” the interviewer didn’t ask who he wanted to take up arms against but hey ho. His charming wife chimed in “I’m not against immigrants, we need nurses, doctors that sort of thing but not immigrants of the wrong sort”.
Get us out of this!
SNP x 2

On the subject of Richard Arkless, is it just me or is he being ignored by the local press in Dumfries and Galloway? Every utterance by Fluffy or Elaine Murray is reported in detail as was the unlamented Russell Brown.

There are a few that should really be MINUS numbers, like Mr Kerevan SAVING the taxpayer money, and so on.

A wee aside, with regards to Michelle Thomson. As you rightly said, she has not actually been charged with anything, let alone even had any sort of actual allegations put to her other than vague unionist rumours that there was something wrong. As you rightly pointed out, she simply made a profit after purchasing a house from a private owner. You forgot to mention that the previous owner only made 100% profit on their purchase, and this was during a very slack time, where they couldn’t sell the house in the first place, and would otherwise have had to drop the price. Otherwise, brilliant article…lol

It really is pretty shocking that between them there is not a single multi-national directorship or offshore trust fund and as for a eminent surgeon doing the Xmas shift when she ought to be on holiday…

It is clear that we failed to elect the ‘right sort’ of people for Westminster.

PS. I hear that they also attend debates instead of propping up the subsidised bars all day! Scandalous!

Thoroughly enjoyed this piece, say one thing for Wings, Stuart you do not miss and hit the wall. That will save them having to look up the other thirty one they have yet to denounce.
Newspapers, (spit) would be better looking into the scandals which surround our forced on us corrupt government, but of course they are only there because of our forced on us corrupt government. Pity more had not been like Richard Arkliss who threatened legal action, it might have made them think again.

On the subject of Richard Arkless, is it just me or is he being ignored by the local press in Dumfries and Galloway? Every utterance by Fluffy or Elaine Murray is reported in detail as was the unlamented Russell Brown.

No it’s not just you. I was thinking the same thing recently as I walked passed dithery Murray’s office and pictured, in my minds eye, the removal of her brass plate from the wall.

Ok, off to Bath. Thought dentists would also be a good place to look but beginning to think I sound like a weird stalker. But if I do happen to see you Rev I’ll be the one that bows and scrapes, shakes your hand with gratitude and walks on.

The UKOK gutter press. Are they making a difference though, is what the creep show must get asked by their filthy rich tax dodger bosses. Yoon culture does want to read and watch this kind of stuff and they do really enjoy BBC Scotland’s massive #SNPbad output.

UKOK flip side’s their medieval grovelling to royals and tories. I still don’t know why Sturgeon had the whole far right news eds clown show over for Xmas drinks last year. Just send the goons cards next year, Oxfam do nice ones.

Brilliant Stuart. What an embarrassment for them. They should be hanging their heads in shame.

You do know however that the lazy beggars will probably use your checklist to target the others now. Just waiting!

Oh I just remembered you didn’t mention ”Fartgate: New SNP MP Patricia Gibson flinched in disgust after one of her colleagues BROKE WIND.”

Patricia Gibson had the brass neck to ‘flinch’ in the Commons. Not allowed to clap or flinch. You better get that one down.

And by the way ‘one of her colleagues’ …. aye right … Farter McCarter …. was the LABOUR MP Richard Burgon.

Isn’t it great how the Daily Record don’t even need wee birdies to tell them anything anymore. They can now detect foul smells from 350 miles away and actually identify who caused it.

Instead of hounding SNP MSPs like a pack of blood thirsty wolves and making a meal of ‘nasty Cybernats’ it would actually suit them better to inform us all of the following (posted earlier by Nana).

And ‘British nationalists warned against “illegal” intimidation of councillors.’

”The council intervened to warn nationalist campaigners after the personal addresses and mobile numbers of seven Labour and SNP councillors were posted online by British nationalists.

Unionist group Regimental Blues launched a campaign of “targeting councillor surgeries and council offices as part of our street campaign”, warning councillors that it would monitor “every meeting you sit in, every vote you cast and every move you make” if they failed to back down over plans to commemorate the Irish Easter Rising of 1916.”

He has a holiday cottage, mainly for his own use and his family’s. However, he lets it out when the family aren’t using it. (He donated a week there as the star prize in the Yes Borders raffle in 2014.) According to one newspaper, this makes him a “landlord”.

Calum, like the rest of the SNP MPs, didn’t vote on some proposal or other relating to making it mandatory that all rented properties are fit for human habitation, because the legislation was England-only. As a result he was pilloried in the press as an SNP “landlord” who wasn’t in favour of rental properties having to be fit for human habitation.

The tone of the piece suggested that these MPs were slum landlords getting rich out of the misery of families squeezed into damp, insanitary tenement slums.

I don’t know where this was published, but I heard Calum ruefully describing the coverage when he was at our Burns Supper last month.

The whole scenario is like a Salvador Dali painting. The elements are all there,but you have to interpret them correctly.

Never,apart from a brief moment on 19th Sept 2014 in Freedom Sq,have I seen winners react in the way that the No voters are doing now.

They are fighting with everyone on the Internet, threatening councillors with being monitored and watched,attacking the SNP at all levels of the organisation on a daily basis via their media and political party apparatus which are joined at the hip to the media.

Why is this happening?? They won after all and should be assured that the majority would back the No vote again.

There in lies the problem for them.They are not at all sure that the No side would win again,hence the outpouring of vitriol directed at anyone who would like another opportunity at testing the electorates commitment to the Union.I smell real fear.

The victory they obtained was pyrrhic. In victory they destroyed themselves and continue to do so. Winners behaving as if they had been cheated in some way. They hold aloft a cup,filled with vinegar rather than champagne.The fruits of victory soured by their inability to vanquish permanently an opponent who rises to fight again.

Rev, with all my heart I thank you. Many will chastise you and criticise you,but ultimately you do what you do for the good of all. (Doffs hat).

Now how’s the case going on the LabServativeDem paedophile ring, the MP’S expenses ‘scandal’ and how many criminals are MPs? What about Prince Andrew’s rape case, of an under age girl, seems to have gone awfully quiet

>i>”The whole MSM has missed the one, completely obvious SNPBAAAD story. … The story that they have missed?

… All the SNP MPs are Scottish!

… It’s true and I have it on good authority!

Err! No! Giving Goose, some of them were actually not born in Scotland. I’m not sure just how many there are now but before the last election there were six elected SNP members born outside of Scotland. They are all, though, some of, “Legally Sovereign People of Scotland”.

For example – Central Ayrshire – Philippa Whitford was born in Northern Ireland and is a consultant surgeon.

Rev, I would give some of those awful stories negative scores instead of zeros, because most of them are twisted fabrications, or downright lies (and have the opposite effect to that intended).

Since the GE, the level of corporate media effort (Tory press + BBC Labour) directed towards (unsuccessfully) building and maintaining an SNP BAD narrative has been quite astounding. It looks like they are working their way down the list. And then? Start at the beginning again of course! We are dealing with not very nice people here. Not very nice at all. You could almost suspect them of having an anti-Scottish agenda. 🙂

This is a great piece. Unbelievable, but not really. I don’t know how you do this. This constant #SNPbad stuff puts most people off reading newspapers. My Unionist members of the family don’t buy newspapers anymore and don’t seem to listen to any State news either! (They might even vote SNP in May!)

I don’t know how you listen to anti Scottish rhetoric on radio and TV everyday. I can’t do it, so I’m so grateful to you for all you do for Scotland.

My first check in the morning is Wings Twitter page, then Wings blog. We must have the best posters ever.

This needs to be spread far and wide. Now if only the National could be interested in running a big centre-piece story and headlining with:

“THE SNP BAD FILES”

on the front page, for all to see, it would be a big seller. Folk would see the headline in the shops and wonder what it was all about. I would like to see BBC Labour trashed as well and a list of the close relationships between the DR, the BBC and SLAB. If only they had the courage to run with it.

Despite the ongoing gutter press anti Scotland running Scotland smear campaign, its still Alex Salmond that’s taken most of their UKOK rules you so shut it stuff, with rancid The Graun right in there with the lowest of them

Rancid’s actually even creepier than UKOK far right media creep out, in that that bizarre bunch of progressive liberal phoneys now pretend their Scotland region does not actually exist, except for the weather maybe and attracting all kinds of raging far right UKOK nutters, BBC staffers, btl.

This has been ongoing for decades… I am so pleased you have given this some publicity.. if only Scotland had an Independently minded broadcaster who could show how pathetic these graduates of sycophantic cringe are… but … we don’t.. & the SNP seem to believe that a bbc 6pm Scottish news slot will somehow enlighten everyone… pathetic..

Fantastic piece of work. However, the BUM have missed a glaring one: Owen Thompson’s beard is clearly a different colour from his hair which is deeply suspicious, frankly wrong and not close to the standards we expect of our elected officials.

BBC style UKOK propaganda wise, I thought it was interesting the way the Independent newspaper going bust was reported by the rest of the UKOK gutter press. like rancid The Graun, The Independent sold itself as a progressive liberal outfit because ofcourse was nothing like it, more purple tory than blue maybe but not quite red. And so it failed.

Adblock will makes sure they wont make any money online either but there’s clearly a demand for actual leftie stuff, look at Bernie Sanders in the US. None of the toryboys and girls in the great BBC led hard core Conservative UKOK media freak show can bring themselves to actually do what they lie to the rest of the world about, that they are a free quality press, not merely right wing royals grovelers and propaganda merchants. Maybe toryboys and girls merely hire toryboys and girls, generation after generation.

Hopefully everyone at the Independent will now go out and get proper jobs, commensurate with their abilities. They’ll have to, the doles gone now and they’ll get sanctioned for not wearing a tie to sign on.

“I saw one of them being interviewed on the news last night. He was asked whether he was for in or out of Europe (as if the interviewer didn’t know.) “I’m 77 years old and fought in the second world war and am willing to take up arms again””

Re Corri Wilson you might want to have a look here http://www.scottishreview.net/KennethRoy40a.html?utm_source=Sign-Up.to&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=8427-354051-In+SR+this+week%3A+an+MP%2C+an+MSP%2C+and+a+business+arrangement – most recent Scottish Review. The main argument is this
“Mr Brodie’s payments to Caledonii Resources Ltd were a legitimate expense. But a business arrangement which is legitimate is not necessarily wise. Was it wise of Mr Brodie, an SNP MSP, to enter into an outsourcing contract with a company being run by someone who was an SNP activist, councillor and prospective parliamentary candidate and to expect the taxpayer to pick up the bill for this arrangement? It is a serious question given the party’s dominant position in Scottish politics and across vast swathes of civic life – and raises the more general question of whether contracts awarded by MSPs should be better regulated and monitored.”
It does though take Mr Roy 1145 words to say it all, finding time to repeat the “she employs her son” charge, but also that she has spoken in “only 9 debates” “(‘well below average’ according to the parliamentary website, They Work For You)” he doesnt miss the opportunity to tell us.

So much for freedom of the press. Freedom to smear and spin to undermine democracy. We have to keep faith that the people will increasingly reject the disgusting outpourings from these private newspapers. I am certain that just a few more lights go on each day, illuminating the darkness of our illegitimate press.

Thanks for your hard work Stu. Let me know when the next fundraiser begins.

Listening to Call Kaye this morning and her chosen topic was about the SG’s claims formore Scottish content on BBC Scotland. She asked, “If you got more Scottish content then you would have to give up popular programmes so what would you choose to give up”?

brilliant, much ado about nothing to pinch a line from thon Wullie blokes book, the LabouraTory Press are totally desperate, and i agree with Taranaich’s Comment Msp’s should be done, don’t do Westminster Mp’s simply because we’d never hear from you again (via too much work to be done on the story OR (more than likely) you’d be bumped off by the establishment for shining a light at the CockWombles)

Great work Rev who would have thought a bunch of politicians would be so clean,yes we do live in interesting times,i wonder if it is possible to do a comparison on other UK MP`s from different parties or would that be an impossibility due to it being a never ending chain of scandals.

Though i am starting to regret having voted for John McNally but purely on personal reasons in that i can no longer find a descent barber ,the fools we were now we all have bad hair lol

That the unionist press with the help of Labour are digging so that they can dish the
and show that the trying to find drtSNP MPs don’t aspire to the level of sleaze we have seen from the unionist parties

Let’s totally gub them in May, there is no other answer to this litany of defamation and abuse that our MP’s are having to suffer just because we elected them as our representatives. These papers are trying to tell us that we have made some awful mistake in voting for them, well they have picked a big fight wi the wrong country…they can go and fuck themselves. Watch this space come May 2016, you shower of bastards, you ain’t seen nothing yet…

Apparently if they devolved broadcasting, Scotland would turn into North Korea.
Well that was one Yoonies comments on call Kaye. So if news is filtered through London, it’s open and honest. Yet from Edinburgh or Glasgow, it would turn into a communist media outlet.

I know how to end this SNPBAD narrative once and for all. It’s simple and there is still time for you to rattle a few cages.

Get yourself on the list vote in any region in Scotland, become an MSP and stir things up a bit. FMQ’s would be a lot more entertaining. You could even shout abuse at other MSP’s expecting just a telling off.

“Who ate all the Pies” screams the Daily Fail 🙂

Think about it, there would be no room on the front pages anymore for SNPBAD. You would hog the medias attention. If you didn’t then guess I’d be disappointed 🙁

Fantastic Stu, it’s gotten to the stage where the only people who pay any attention to the mainstream press when it comes to SNP are the increasingly desperate Scottish Labour MSPs and the small number of brainwashed minions they can still attract.

Rev. Stuart Campbell says:
17 February, 2016 at 11:40 am
“I saw one of them being interviewed on the news last night. He was asked whether he was for in or out of Europe (as if the interviewer didn’t know.) “I’m 77 years old and fought in the second world war and am willing to take up arms again””

Which show/channel/time?

I saw this. I am sure it was on the 10pm BBC news last night. I remember laughing at the time.

The behaviour of the unionist media and the Labour party digging to try and find dirt on the SNP MPS shouldn’t come as any surprise.

This is a strategy that is designed to undermine peoples trust in the Scottish Government and show everyone that the SNP in attacking sleaze, are hypocritical, because SNP politicians are also mired in sleaze themselves.

Unfortunately for Labour and the media many of these stories can be debunked almost as soon as they are
published thanks to the internet.

In todays National Newspaper the heading is “Who will speak for England”? A wee look and analysis of the B.B.C’s Questiontime Programmes, I see that since the General Election in May 2015 there has been 28 Programmes up until 11th February 2016. 20 of the programmes have had no representative from the S.N.P. i.e 71% . Only 2 programmes have been based in Scotland , 1 from wales, 1 from N.I. Therefore 24 Programmes have been based in England ie 86%. England therefore gets the most coverage in terms of the U.K. Having 56 Scottish Nationalist M.P’S has not been reflected on the State Broadcaster when you consider that the programme in the past always had a Lib Dem rep on every programme being the 3rd largest party in the U.K.Parliament. That has not been continued and one has to conclude What is the Agenda and who is Directing it? But I see the programme is from Stratford upon Avon tomorrow night and guess what John Nicholson S.N.P M.P. is on the panel. Maybe a Start but I don’t think that will be the future format.

The continued rise in the polls for the SNP and fall in Labour support really drives home how little credence people give to these political propaganda pieces. Papers like the Mail are preaching to the converted and their influence stretches not an inch beyond the twitching lace curtains of their declining demographic.

Also compared to scandals like Chilcott, Iraq, Janner, IDS and the rise of welfare suicides and so on, totally overblown pieces about £3.20 rail tickets look exactly as they are…partisan nonsense

Kudos to Stu for the stamina to pull all this tripe into one shooting gallery for us to practice on though 🙂

All the other MPs must love that the press is paying so much attention to the SNP. A Tory MP could have anal intercourse with an African sex slave, whilst knee deep in cocaine, on Parliament Green and it wouldn’t make the news because the press have found a ‘hypocritical’ SNP MP once had a job prior to being elected.

Great article and as usual comprehensive. However if you had waited one day you might have picked up & included another smear / innuendo, albeit from a very small ‘publication’ with slightly less form than the Mail.

This Scottish Review article (editorial?) seems to be mainly targeted at a list MSP but also casts aspersions on Corri Wilson MP and definitely warrants a scandal rating of 0/5.

Roy’s latest article is a classic example of how this once informative, erudite & disciplined journal has sunk to being a cantankerous anti SNP /Independence online rag with its contributors masquerading as anti-establishment literati / cognoscenti or investigative (LOL) journalists.

Oh wait – the BBC *does* put the 10 o’clock news on iPlayer, but not the six o’clock, which is weird. The 10pm one had vox pops, but nobody 77 saying they fought in the war. Closest was a 72-year-old saying he’d lay down his life now to keep immigrants out.

‘Petra’ makes mentions of ‘Regimental Blues’ and ‘Bears fight back’ from a Nana link……Interesting how these loyalist hate groups have emerged like poisonous boils since the Referendum.

After driving two journalists out of the ‘Herald’ with threats against their livelihood, they’ve moved their attention on to opposing any ‘celebrations’ of the Easter rising of 1916.

Where are the police in this regard? ….It was easily established that the 19th of Sept riot in Glasgow was an orchestrated ‘event’ designed to cow YES supporters, after the REF. Yet only ciphers were arrested. Yet organised loyalists are working against individuals and legitimate democratic organisations in the most threatening and insidious ways…ironically utilising the internet in the manner that we ‘cybernats’ are accused of (wrongly).

Is it paranoia to see this low level, but effective, intimidation of our free speech as a part of a concerted British State operation? The papers and BBC ignored and have continued to ignore this phenomenon as well as ignoring Unionist politicians behaviour and utterances e.g ‘bayonetting the wounded’ etc.

These groups are organised and funded and coalesce every other weekend at Ibrox with their pathetic slave symbolism of ‘Britishness’. Rangers football club in whatever stage of development it poses to be newco/oldco etc. had the opportunity to vanquish its ugly sectarian history when it dropped down the leagues. Instead, within its hierarchy a decision was made to continue to countenance the same old bigotry combined with its ugly, twin British imperialism.

Unfortunately, this club…an old Scottish institution, is not alone: the Church of Scotland in its pathetic attempts to forge a British identity by allying itself with the Church of England is betraying, not only its creed, which I care nothing for, but the Scottish people who are members of it and its own history of resistance against Anglicanism with its implicit association with the English crown. Add in the Scottish legal system which has allowed the English to overlord it with the ‘Supreme Court’ and to permit English lords rule that Scotland was absorbed into a greater England at the point of Union…. And as for our education system…especially the teaching of our history…well in an independent Scotland a complete rebuild of our Institutions is required..starting with ‘our’ media.

Rev. Stuart Campbell says:
17 February, 2016 at 11:40 am
Sorry I can’t be precise. I was channel surfing after watching the PSG v Chelsea game. So sometime after 9.30. Probably a 10pm news item about in/out, bit of Farage, bit of Prince William then over to a pub I think somewhere in Sussex.

Having followed the events of the fiscal frame work, it looks to me and probably Nicola that the Yoons are not interested in agreeing a fair deal for Scotland.

A paragraph from her latest letter to Cameron,

‘The Chief Secretary’s continued reluctance to entertain this proposal makes it hard to avoid the conclusion that your government is unwilling to agree the principle of ‘no detriment’ in the terms set out in my letter to you of 9 February. If that were the case it would mean, in my view, that you had failed to honour both your pre-referendum Vow and your commitment to implement in full the recommendations of the Smith Commission. I think that view would be widely shared in Scotland.’

@ Valerie says at 1:41 pm …. Sorry! Bojo story was from 2013, bloody FB page, and I didn’t check the date.”

I did something similar this morning Valerie. Found what I thought was a piece of really interesting information, copied it, typed up a bit and then realised like you that it was 2 years old!

@ David McKeen says at 1:59 pm …. ”All the other MPs must love that the press is paying so much attention to the SNP. A Tory MP could have anal intercourse with an African sex slave, whilst knee deep in cocaine, on Parliament Green and it wouldn’t make the news because the press have found a ‘hypocritical’ SNP MP once had a job prior to being elected.”

Are you going to name this person or not David? Was it Osborne? Cameron?

No seriously this is why their sales are plummeting. They’ve gone into overkill and no one (very few) is one bit interested in what they have to say anymore. I visit a number of elderly people (80’s / 90’s) and they’re telling ME what a load of old guff it is. In some cases they were prior No voters.

‘Petra’ makes mentions of ‘Regimental Blues’ and ‘Bears fight back’ from a Nana link……Interesting how these loyalist hate groups have emerged like poisonous boils since the Referendum.

It may not make a huge amount of difference to how they operate, but I’ve been in touch with the Lord Lyon and the PF about Regimental Blues. Their home-made coat of arms is not registered and is therefore being used without permission. Maybe they’ll have something more serious to think about soon.

I’m aware that it’s not dissimilar to pursuing Capone for tax evasion, but it’s a start.

Ronnie Cowan MP for Inverclyde’s dad was Jimmy Cowan, a former Scotland international goalie, and also goalie for Greenock Morton & later Sunderland. Jimmy Cowan was Scottish goalie when Scotland beat England at Wembley in 1949 & 1951 & he is in the Scottish Football Hall of Fame.

Worrying complicity between the Labour governmental machine and its chums in big business!

Why do you think that Sarah Boyack and friends won’t support an investigation into a controversial Edinburgh hospital? But Neil Findlay keeps banging on about the inability of health chiefs to recruit paediatric consultants, as if such people can be press ganged! A diversion by Labour if ever there was!

@galamcennalath
The Conservatives set their cap at Labour supporters and were succeeding. Labour dropping in the polls, Conservatives rising. This won’t do her party any good, and Dugdale comes out OK, so the trick is to steal those voters who finally cast off Labour from the Conservatives – to any pro-indy party.

Fertile ground there, perhaps 5% of the electorate for the taking, and none of it previous SNP voters.

Re George Kerevan: In the interests of accuracy, my understanding is that George does take the full MP salary from “public funds” but restricts himself to £27K for personal living expenses. The remainder is given to charity or to providing additional resources for his constituency administration. In consequence, of course, his claimed expenses may well be more modest than otherwise.

Your links bring a number of things to mind, Mike. The Poles not being allowed to take part in VE celebrations, for instance. Use and discard.

What immediately sprung to mind, though, was a chapter from Ernst Jünger’s “Storm of Steel” where he describes, with bemusement, the abject horror in the demeanor of Indian troops they had captured whilst on patrol. The British had told them that if they were taken alive they would be eaten.

Didn’t know about Ronnie Cowan being Jimmy Cowan’s son. That 1949 Wembley win has, ever since, been known as: “Jimmy Cowan’s Match”, since he more or less defied England single-handedly for the first half hour. Then Scotland broke away and scored, on their way to a 3-1 win.

The late Sammy Cox of Rangers, who played left-back for Scotland that day, till the day he died, insisted Jimmy Cowan’s performance was the finest display of goal-keeping he ever saw.

If the son can, in the arena of politics, deny England ws well as his father did at Wembley, we are home and hosed for Independence.

A war between those that write the “news” and those they hope to sell their propaganda to?

I think it is and I also think that the media is losing this war, look at their sales figures, look at the distrust the Scottish electorate have of the BBC.

Doesn’t matter now how beautiful you tell us the Emperors new clothes are. We all see clearly that he is in fact naked.

The fallout from the referendum and the resulting demise of BUM media in Scotland, for me at least is one of the greatest victories. You know why they are screeching and whining so much is because we are ridiculing them. Putting them “back in their box”.

Don’t hold your breath for any action to be taken by either the lord lyon or the police, regarding Rangers or movements wearing their colours or that of the Orange Order. These are seen by the state to be defenders of the state and will have the protection of the state. Time will tell If I am right about this.

The pitchfork press will have their way, like the spoiled little brats that they are, but when they read your compilation (which I hope some of them do) even they must know deep down they are being pathetic (most of the time).

O/T Re fiscal framework
I see in The National a negotiation expert criticising Hands for being away at a crucial time in negotiation because it wouldn’t heppen in business.

But then says the two sides will have to be prepared to give ground. So it goes like this:

UK: We’re going to rob you of £7.5 billion
SG: No.
UK: We’re going to rob you of £3 billion, look how nice we are
SG: No
UK: OK then, we’ll meet halfway
SG: I’m calling the Police, now get out of my house

Same guy says they should put it upstairs and Sturgeon talk to Osborne.

Ok found it on iplayer. It was the 10 o-clock news last night on the BBC. Laura Kuenssberg bit about 5 minutes in. My memory must be playing tricks, he doesn’t mention the was but the old guy in the pub is wittering on about importing criminals (immigrants) and says he would willingly take up arms to “protect his country” etc etc.

Put in the actual text of the newspaper headline in large print (H2 or H2 perhaps, technically), as anyone searching for e.g. “hypocritical SNP MPs” will see your page high up in the rankings. Maybe even higher than the rag itself!

I think the overall point is very well made. Perhaps it might be wise to accept that Phil Boswell’s £18,000 loan is within the letter of the law but pushing the spirit of the law well past breaking point.

Classic example of sound investigative journalism- something we see far too little of those days.How dare those people swan over the green benches of Westminster and speak out for their electors -and they clap! Do they know nothing? Bring back the “f****** useless” MPs who were unseated.
I scan the headlines of the Red tops and the (once respected) broadsheets as I pick up my copy of the National from my newsagent. The anti SNP hostility of our printed media is almost beyond parody although the Rev does more than a fair job hwith this comprehensive expose.The lack of any substance behind the stories is revealing and exposes the lack of principle and rigour of the reporters. I understand that some of those titles are likely to follow The Independent-not that it believed in Independence – into well-deserved oblivion. Hasta la vista!

Only last week the First Minister was miscalled by Neil Findlay in the Scottish Parliament. After a less than gracious retraction from the said buffoon, the incident was reported once only in a nine second item buried in the news from Pacific Quay and has not since been referred to. Can you imagine the reaction if this had been Kezia being similarly treated by an SNP backbencher?

“I saw one of them being interviewed on the news last night. He was asked whether he was for in or out of Europe (as if the interviewer didn’t know.) “I’m 77 years old and fought in the second world war and am willing to take up arms again”

WW2 ended 2nd September 1945, almost 71 years ago. So the gentleman in question was only 2 years old when war broke out & was still only 6 years old when it ended.

I’m curious to discover which force or regiment he served in & if he still has a medal to prove he wore a nappy.

Very good article which underlines the madness and desperation of the MSM. They are blinded by their loyalty to a failing union. Why don’t they have a wee look at some of the Unionist MPs activities I wonder?

I also enjoyed CLICKING on all the links and have a better understanding of your zany humour!

Mike don’t you know that it was England and the US that won World War11?

The word ‘World’ doesn’t ever seem to be taken into account. If we Scots think that we’ve been hard done by, by Westminster, you don’t have far to look to find millions of others that have been treated abysmally by them during War and peace time (the odd year here and there).

One of the worst incidences was Churchills treatment of the Poles. As Thingy (3:13pm) pointed out the Poles weren’t allowed to march on VE Day. The ONLY country to be excluded. Their brave servicemen and woman, such as pilots, had to stand on the sidelines and look on. Disgraceful and absolutely heartbreaking. I also wonder what Air Chief Marshal Sir Hugh Dowding had to say about Churchill’s (and Stalins) decision?

The link that you posted re. the Poles includes a section on 303 Squadron said to have turned the tide of the war during the Battle of Britain, which we were losing. If we hadn’t won that battle, if it hadn’t been for the Poles, it would have been over and out for us. End of.

They come here now to work (not skive) and have been found to be, through research, the most reliable and hardworking employees in the UK, but are scapegoated at every turn. Westminster has a lot to answer for.

”The Poles were keen to fight but the RAF would not at first let them fly operationally. This was because few of the exiles spoke English and there was concern about their morale. What the British did not yet realise was that many of the Poles were excellent pilots. Having come through the Polish and French Campaigns, they had more combat experience than most of their British comrades and they employed superior tactics.

As the Battle of Britain wore on, and the shortage of trained pilots became critical, the exiles were accepted into RAF squadrons and two Polish fighter units, Nos. 302 and 303 Squadrons, were formed. Once committed to action, the Poles flew and fought superbly, shooting down 203 enemy aircraft for the loss of 29 pilots killed. No. 303 Squadron became the most successful Fighter Command unit in the Battle, shooting down 126 German machines in only 42 days. Czech Sergeant Josef Frantisek, also of ‘303’, was the top scoring pilot with 17 confirmed victories.

Air Chief Marshal Sir Hugh Dowding, who led Fighter Command, would later write:

“Had it not been for the magnificent material contributed by the Polish squadrons and their unsurpassed gallantry, I hesitate to say that the outcome of the Battle would have been the same.”

So much SNPbad noise and all the while Yoon MPs are getting away with anything they can. Lucy Allan, Geoffrey Cox and the rest. It will be interesting to see how Carmichael is dealt with by Parliament and how much coverage it gets.

Did anyone see Dougie Henshall called out the media for their love in with Ruth Davidson? Why is she not called to account for her party’s disgusting policies? She is ex BBC, of course, and it seems that, as one of them, she gets a free pass.

Also did you know the SNP membership is still rising, BUT NOT RISING AS MUCH AS IT SHOULD, according to Tom Gordon of the Herald.

@Edward
The other side is that it’s the old guard being a cabal and making false allegations against Julie McAnulty, and other misdoings, including Richard Lyle who supposedly filibustered a meeting on Monday to prevent a vote of no confidence in him being called.

Opinions from pro-indy supporters are mixed, some on one side, some on another. Personally I think the Herald is covering it OK so far, and whoever’s in the right, it does need to get proerly sorted.

Yes Rev, stick with the links. I reply to criticism of WOS at times, and my answer isn’t to defend WOS or the dreaded Campbell, but to say go look for yourself, there are opinions there, but everything is backed up with links so you can check out any quotes in context, and make your own mind up.

Simple.

Unoinist websites don’t, or rarely do, back up their articles with links.

My guess on the McGarry and Thompson allegations. If there is nothing to the allegations then we will hear the outcome only AFTER the May elections. If there IS anything to the allegations then we will hear all about it approximately 10 days before the May election. Bets anyone?

@ Edward says at 4:37 pm …. ”Hi, anyone got a take on the story appearing in the Herald about in fighting at an SNP branch in North Lanarkshire? The Herald have been running at least 2 stories about this and I smell Herald BS.”

Edward there was a really good story in The National yesterday. Sorry I can’t post the link. There is a lot more going on than meets the eye such as jiggery pokery re. a contract worth millions … and Labour involvement.

Kaye Adams’ programme this morning was a cracker on Scottish broadcasting. Some excellent comments phoned in. Tom at 9:00 minutes in was good but the winner this week was Robert from Dumfries at 50:30. Kaye shouting at him, “You can’t can’t can’t” when he suggested Scotland could buy in programmes from Sky (52:20).

Sample dialogue:
Robert: Are you still there?
Kaye: Yes of course, Robert
Robert: I just wondered why you hadn’t butted in.

Two “experts”, Steve Hewlett a media analyst at 10:50 and Mike Ward, TV critic with the Daily Star at 44:40. Both from England, both freely admitted they know nothing about it. Nobody seems to know the facts about the costs of BBC Scotland except they are massive and it would cost 2.6 Billion to recreate the network so you’re too poor Scotland.

For completeness about Phil Boswell, there was a problem that he hadn’t declared an interest in his own company which hadn’t traded for a couple of years and hadn’t issued dividends either. 1/5, it was a techincal wrongdoing, though I think it was down to a misunderstanding over amounts (greater than £300) and shareholding (can’t remember he details, but substantial. I read the guildeines and I thought it was an a AND b, it seems it was an a OR b. Badly worded, and had recently changed anyway. He has declared his interest now.

Yes but the nappies in those days were Terry towelling. You deserved a medal for wearing them.I still bear the “chap” marks to this day. Funny how you grew out of nappies only to have them replaced a few years later with woollen swimming shorts which when wet would have dragged the Titanic into the abyss.

It is no good re running the head lines for the news papers.You just help them by displaying there rubbish showing it to people that did not see them as now they are now in the one place .you have to think of the negative side and I know you are trying to do the best job you can but a lot of people did not see them and I think it’s best they never do. Regards Henry

This article reminds me of the old scotch and wry classic when rangers sign the boy who scored 7 goals in the 1st half so he gets a 5 year contract without the manager knowing he is in fact a catholic..!

“How many did you score in the 2nd half” ?

“None, i had to get tae mass….”

The things the stunned manager tried to get the contract cancelled was hilariously akin to our media as shown above…

Have to love the idea that the BBC, or more probably BBC Worlwide would be banned from selling programs to Scotland. Would all depend on just how desperately they needed the cover the license fee cash they’d have just lost.

Boris@7.04
I think the expression is “damned with faint praise”.
The Rev has been the gold standard of reporting for much longer than six months and It is difficult to see how it could be improved upon.
However I agree with your heartfelt well done.

Petra @ 20:16
As an ex R.A.F. man,
I’m well aware of the Polish squadron 303, and thier involvement in the “Battle of Britain ” , and the disgraceful treatment, by the Westminster’s establishment, forbidding them the right to participate in the victory march through London,
As you maybe well aware there was/is a film regarding thier arrival and involvement in the Battle of Britain , I think I’ll still be available on “u” tube, and for anyone who has not seen it, I recommend that you do so,
There are meny, meny sons and daughters, of these men who came over to fight for our, and thier freedom,in our communities today.
I remember in the 1950s quite a number of Polish men who had served in the war, set down roots in and around Dunfermline, one I remember , was normally referred to as “the pole”, ( probably because his name would be unpronounceable to us Fifers!), who had a scrap yard, which went under the name “wax-wing”, I think Robert Peffers will remember him.

On the contrary Henry it is vital no imperative we break the link in peoples minds that the BUM means the truth,this essentially is our main stumbling block to independence and always has been.

What the Rev does terrifies them as up until wings there was no scrutiny of these people,they could say what they wanted,they controlled the narrative and used it to push their agenda which is on no account should Scotland ever learn the truth.

Well things change and by putting this all together shows quite clearly the level of animosity towards the SNP MP`s ,when it is drip fed out for public consumption people forget or fail to join the dots ,the Rev likes to remind us of that by putting all the unionist garbage together in a neat wee pile for us to use.

And its not like the BUM have proved the SNP are just as bad as the others if this is all they can dig up after throwing a full scale assault on them,its all rather pathetic and even the wavering no voter must be thinking jeez maybe i was wrong and these guys are right.

The more hysterical we make them the better for us but shhhh dont tell them that lol

“ORTH Ports has unveiled plans for the largest investment in the history of the Port of Dundee, as it eyes offshore wind and North Sea decommissioning work.
The ports company said today it would invest more than £10 million to create a new quayside with “an industry-leading heavy lift” capability”, coupled with a significant onshore operational area.
Forth Ports declared this would position the Port of Dundee at the forefront of the North Sea oil and gas decommissioning and offshore wind sectors. “

Great news for Dundee, and ready for more port activity after Independence. Strange we were talking about this a couple of weeks back (as well as the Hunterston super-hub).

Re the Survation poll, UKIP won’t be getting 7 seats as that seat predictor does not take into account the Regional vote for each area. I’ll wait and see what James Kelly of Scot Goes Pop says once he has read the internals of the poll data.

Had a lot of this stuff filed in my busy brain the past few months. I’ve found the Herald particularly disappointing but that’s based upon unfounded expectation as to Newsquest Scotland’s ‘true nature’. Thank you for corralling the pitiful propaganda war with humour and precision. One of my favourite articles of the last few months. If any of our hacks read this (we KNOW they do); at least they know that we know and that we can collectively stretch your sterling work further and wider than the reach of their rags combined 😉

I was doing a ‘Yes’ street stall in Clydebank the Saturday before the Euro elections and so many people said they were voting ‘Yes’ and UKIP. They were worried about immigration which is not a problem here in Scotland, but they heard the scaremongering on the BBC and believed it did apply here.

OT
Had a little romp around the media, and it seems to me that they’re now very wary of the idea of accusing the SNP of time-wasting over the fiscal framework. Perhaps they sense they’re backing a big loser trying that one on any more.

Great article pulling together the absolute torrent of Smear being made against SNP politicians. Make no mistake, this is coordinated and a total and utter attempt by the establishment to skew democracy. Bringing it out in the open, as this article from Wings does, helps people realise how extensive media manipulation is. As Johnny Rotten sang….”God Save the the Queen, a Fascist Regime”. And he wasn’t wrong!

On both FB & Twitter others like me will be amazed / astonished / aghast at the posts made by Yoons . Some of our posters here occasionally engage with them & I’m always horrified reading the Follow- on comments from the Yoons , clearly they have been majorly brainwashed or hoodwinked!

Ref Angus B McNeil , sorry if Its been posted already.
Was there not an attempt to stick a BAD label on him over his Own flat in London whereupon he was claiming a circa £200pcm towards Mortgage Interest ? The Yoons said he should be renting costing us £1000s Pcm ?
Sorry but I never bother reading the article as “I don’t do newspapers”

Its not for the FM to negotiate anything only to scrutinise delivery of the the pledges made. If the powers delivered pose any form of detriment to the people of Scotland, it is the job of the Scottish Government to define the detriment and bring it to the notice of the Scottish electorate.

So basically whatever you hear or see in the press urging or pressuring the FM to ‘deal’? Is pure bollox. This isn’t a deal it’s the delivery of a ‘VOW’ to the people of Scotland. Smith and the Commons were given all the time (rope) and power they required to win the aftermath of the referendum. 18K submissions from the public to Smith plus Scotland Bill debates in both houses.

They chose to ignore the 18k submissions (unless they have a spectacular talent for speed reading) and used the Scotland bill debates to completely ignore the amendments put forward by Scotland’s benches in favour of putting uppity Scottish representation in its place to great mirth and celebration. I’ll not forget the aftermath of the vote on FFA anytime soon. Only (ironically) the Lords saw what was coming in terms of the fiscal framework and what the Scottish government could do when presented with the current bill.

Project Fear and Smear together with the Vow may have swung the referendum but as the subsequent Westminster election showed the electorate showed exactly what they thought of the unionist parties. That the treachery of the Vow and the Scotland Bill is even more imprinted into the electorate’s consciousnesses this reinforces exactly why the establishment is going into overdrive to destroy the reputations of each and every SNP politician. SNP One and Two, is the way to go. Let’s give em the parliamentary mandate together with a majority of the popular vote to let them say with an unequivocal voice who speaks for Scotland.

The National reports Greens imploding in Aberdeen with three list candidates resigning from Party,including former Lib Dems Storr and Ford, who are accusing top list candidate Maggie Chapman of lying about her qualifications.

Sorry I don’t have time to translate the entire article but the last passage ..

Even the actors are mobilized. Actress Emma Thompson embarked on a passionate tirade in favor of Europe, vilifying Brexit supporters who want the UK becomes ” a kind of little corner of Europe , rainy and sealed by the clouds, […] an old gray stuffed island miserable . ” The irony of the situation will deceive no one. David Cameron also desperate Scots and the small separatist party SNP that has vigorously fought the campaign of the referendum on independence in 2014. Because the Scots are widely Europhile .

And if the gap continues to narrow the difference which would keep the UK in the EU could be in the hands of 4 million Scottish voters

I don’t think this kind of reporting will every stop. So far it’s done nothing but increase the SNP vote share. The corporate media are effectively a one trick unionist pony and that trick being attack. If they had any wit amongst them they would just report the facts while subtlety trolling the SNP but I fear that subtle is beyond them. So it’s attack, lie and smear for the foreseeable future.

The move, which could benefit Israeli suppliers and other companies with operations in Israel, comes as the Israeli government seeks to fight back against the international Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement.
Israel’s political elite has been alarmed by the BDS movement’s recent gains among church groups, students and investors. Companies including security contractor G4S, machinery manufacturer JCB and SodaStream, maker of devices to create homemade carbonated drinks, have all been targeted by campaigners.

Palestinian groups reacted angrily to the Cabinet Office proposals. “This is a bullet at the very heart of a peaceful resolution to the conflict in the Middle East and the very heart of democracy in Britain,” Husam Zomlot, a senior Palestinian official, told the Financial Times.

The BDS campaign, which models itself on the fight against apartheid in South Africa, has urged companies and public institutions to boycott Israel until it ends its occupation of Palestinian lands.”

The Independent on the banning of boycotts story. Mentions Scottish Government’s principled stand now at odds with Westminster.

“The policy effectively means public authorities cannot take ethical considerations into account when procuring goods and affects campaigns against the arms trade, fossil fuels, tobacco products and Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank.
A number of public bodies have ethical procurement policies that prevent them from buying or investing in certain kinds of products.

Matthew Hancock is visiting Israel this week where he will discuss closer trade ties.

In 2014 the Scottish Government published a contrasting procurement notice to Scottish Councils warning that it “strongly discourages trade and investment from illegal settlements” set up by Israel.”

Thanks for the links Nana and aye right was my thoughts as well after reading that.

So if we all vote for a brexit then we might get more powers now where have i heard that one before.

Yoons maybe if you delivered on your vow promises to the Scottish electorate we might believe you but until you do you are no more than a shower of liars and we will treat you with the contempt you deserve,oh and Smith and the Scotland bill are not delivering your promises they are not even close.

vote remain in the EU and SNP x 2 to show these liars and crooks we mean business.

How I wish the media would instead focus on the real criminal MP who are peddling the word of Israel. The 80% or so of those Tory MP that are members of the Conservative Friends of Israel and the 60 or so Labpur MP who are members of the Labour version.

How the hell this organisation has been allowed to operate in this manner with so much influence in Westminster beggars belief. Can you imagine thebputcry id it wad Putin?

You wondered if The National has picked-up or mentioned this thread. I doubt it, haven’t been out to get my papers yet.

I recall, when he was still High Heid Yin of The National, asking Richard Walker if he would be referring to what I thought was an excellent WoS thread – he told me they didn’t use stuff which had already appeared in a rival media outlet.

This I can understand. As a callow young reporter I was told, you only pick-up and use a rival’s story, if you can add something to it and take it on a stage. That rule, to me still holds good. If the outlet which originally broke a story has done that story justice (and WoS nearly always does) – there is nothing to add.

However, just read through so-many of the Old Firm stories in the BUM outlets, and note how often there is a wee foot note: “Wan Fittit was speaking to (insert name of club website)”.

If that rule is good enough for the funnies pages at the back of the paper, stories such as this thread are surely good enough for the serious front part of the same paper.

UKIP will appeal to to the whiter than right Tories and the OO baboons who previously supported the Red Tories.

Anything that splits the Yoonery vote is to be applauded. If they gain a very minor presence in Holyrood so much the better, they will be shown up for the UJ waving, fiscally incompetent bigots that they are. The S D Fail will doubtless welcome them, a distraction, nothing more.

EBC again devoid of journalistic skills.
Head of English Gas defending 5% price drop
While wholesale cost down by 40%.
Toff Tory claims that they have only seen s 10%
Drop in their own purchase price, which they
Have passed on?

Anyone else wishing someone could probe
Where the other 30% has gone?
Could we enquire why Electricity has fallen
By 23% but no cuts are available for consumers

Apparently it isn’t feed to see profits jump by
31% while the public go cold due to fuel cost?

I dunno if it is disconcerting or just hilarious that some sad sack ‘journo’ is phoning people up to see what dirt they can get on an MP.

Who is instructing them to do that? i’d love to know and be a fly on the wall at their meetings.

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